Focus on Agriculture

SALINAS VALLEY — Hartnell College and its partner, the Grower-Shipper Association of Central California, are reaching out to veterans and family members with an immediate opportunity for free courses in agricultural technology and paid on-the-job training at some of the largest Salinas Valley ag...

KING CITY — King City High School Agriculture Department has been honored with the prestigious California Agricultural Teachers’ Association (CATA) Outstanding 4-6 Person Department Award, a recognition aimed at promoting exemplary middle and secondary programs in agricultural education. The award celebrates the department’s commitment to...

MONTEREY COUNTY — Wild pigs in the Monterey County area were exposed to pesticide bait containing the anticoagulant rodenticide diphacinone, according to findings by the California Department of Fish and Wildlife’s (CDFW) Wildlife Health Lab (WHL) and the California Animal Health and Food Safety...

MONTEREY COUNTY — Monterey County Agricultural Commissioner Juan Hidalgo has announced the release of the 2023 Annual Crop and Livestock Report, which recorded a production gross value of just over $4.35 billion, reflecting a 6.1% decrease from 2022. “The values represented here reflect gross values...

MONTEREY COUNTY — Lavender Creek Co., Monterey County’s local family-run lavender wellness brand, has announced a new partnership with the Monterey Peninsula Quilters Guild, providing locally grown lavender for the handcrafted eye pillows donated to CHOMP, Salinas Valley Health, Natividad and the VNA. The eye...

SALINAS VALLEY — Jesse Holguin retired from Gonzales Irrigation Systems on Dec. 31, wrapping up a career of 40 years with the company and more than 50 years in total with agricultural work. Holguin began working for Mel Fowler of King City 51 years ago,...

SALINAS VALLEY — Things were challenging enough for lettuce growers in Monterey County’s Salinas Valley before Mother Nature dealt a one-two punch in this year’s storms. Farmers in 2022 had suffered an estimated $150 million in crop losses as impatiens necrotic spot virus — a...

SALINAS VALLEY — Monterey County Water Resources Agency (MCWRA) and the Salinas Valley Basin Groundwater Sustainability Agency (SVBGSA) have launched a new well registration program to better understand and protect groundwater resources in the Salinas Valley. All well owners are asked to register their wells for free...

SALINAS VALLEY — Nearly 400 people with a professional stake in the safety of fresh fruits and vegetables consumed worldwide gathered at Hartnell College on May 4-5 for the 17th Annual Western Food Safety Conference. The conference, held on Hartnell’s Main Campus in Salinas as...

MONTEREY COUNTY — Monterey County Agricultural Commissioner’s Office has established a dedicated hotline to report agricultural concerns related to farmworker safety as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic, wildfire smoke and the safe use of pesticides. The phone number, available for both English and Spanish...